Inside the Design of Leatherman Knives

Take a trip inside the design of our latest collection of Leatherman knives. To truly understand the design process, we talked to Mark Perusich and Lee Leatherman for insights. 

Design Philosophy & Strategy

What were the guiding principles or constraints when designing this knife line?

Lee Leatherman: It had to be made in USA in Portland, OR. Be useful, functional, ergonomic, and provide a unique design aesthetic. We wanted to design and engineer the mechanical functions of the knives to allow for the most flexible, aesthetically-pleasing design possibilities.

Mark Perusich: First off, as Lee said, the knife line had to be made in the USA in our Portland, OR factory. Second, the knife had to be made to our Leatherman standards; useful, well designed, well crafted, feel good in the hand and for the folders, have some sort of fidget factor.

How does designing a knife differ from designing a multi-tool?

Lee Leatherman: The functionality, quality and durability of all Leatherman products needs to be of the highest standard, knives, and multi-tools alike. There is more flexibility in design aesthetic and targeting specific uses with a single component tool versus a multi component tool.

Mark Perusich: Designing a knife has its challenges but overall, it is a simpler, less complicated product. Knives have fewer moving parts, allowing for more flexibility in their design aesthetics, but since it is so simple, the primary use has to be absolutely dialed. For example, a folding knife must deploy smoothly every time, and you have to feel confident it will totally engage. A large, fixed blade knife is designed for more specific uses and thus must meet those challenges. We make sure all Leatherman multi-tools and knives meet Leatherman's premium quality and standards.

What does “Built Different” mean to the product team—literally and philosophically?

Lee Leatherman: “Built Different” means to do something unique, not for the sake of being different, but for the purpose of striving to be the best and produce the best. If something is “Built the Same”, the processes will follow existing pathways and likely produce nothing new and probably add very little value to the consumer or to those building that product or even the materials used to build the product. To us, “Built Different” also means, do the right thing. Build and source everything as local as possible to support our communities, make things better, and add value to the lives of our consumers, employees, and our business.

Mark Perusich: “Built Different” means to leave the standard track, do it our way, and explore what's new and possible. Not taking the easy route and doing something a bit unexpected i.e. by utilizing domestic materials and suppliers, using materials we have never explored on this scale or size, and asking hard questions about what makes something better or unique. Challenging even ourselves to step away from a multi-tool with its many useful parts and strip it down to the essentials of a single bladed object.

How do these knives align with Leatherman’s broader brand strategy and future direction?

Lee Leatherman: Always high quality, functional, durable, and beautiful tools. We want people to be empowered to help themselves and help others, just like we always have (see our innumerable Tool Tales). We want our tools to be handy for anyone to be able to use them to help. We want our knives to be tools that more people carry on them or near them to be able to be functional and useful to them. We want to continue to build tools and products that are used and actually help people.

Mark Perusich: What Lee said!

How does your approach differ from other knifemakers in the space, and why?

Lee Leatherman: We are taking a unique aesthetic and functional design approach. We stand by our quality and durability of our tools. We view our knives as tools. We build all of our knives in the USA, unlike many other brands who only produce a small portion of their knife offerings in the USA and the rest abroad.

Mark Perusich: For one, we are making them all in Portland, OR with USA-made steel. Many other brands are made overseas. Function and Design are symbiotic, making our knives not only look good, but function at the highest level using premium materials. Our warranty is unmatched in the industry for this type of product, and we back up everything we make 100 percent. 

User-Centered Design & Real-World Use

What kind of user did you have in mind for Blazer^™ vs. Glider^™?

Lee Leatherman: The different blade shapes will have some different use functions and quite a few similar use functions, mostly based around the curve of the blade. The drop point blade shape of the Blazer will have many applications for precision work and tasks. The sheepsfoot design will have enhanced safety in some uses, be good for chopping and for longer cuts. We designed both knives to be as multifunctional as possible.

Mark Perusich: We made the choice to offer two different blade shapes in Blazer and Glider to allow different types of users. The drop point is pointier, geared towards precision cuts and slicing. The modified sheepsfoot is a more robust blade that lends itself to more chopping, higher pressure straight cuts. A lot also comes down to the consumer and their choice of how the blade looks overall with the lines of the handle and blade together. Both will offer a superior, multifunctional experience.

How did feedback from specific user groups influence design decisions?

Mark Perusich: Many of us here at Leatherman have years designing and developing multi-tools and knives. That combined experience helped inform us as to what direction we wanted to take in regard to the knife line. The shape, length, materials, feel, use case, and many more criteria. Asking questions from outside users, internal team members, and experts helped round out our design decisions.

Can you share a field-testing moment that directly shaped the final product?

Mark Perusich: We have all used kitchen knives and have a pretty good understanding of how they should function and the shapes that go along with that function. When looking at what we wanted the Rustle™ to look like, we drew inspiration from a classic Japanese Santuko but with an angular, clipped point. Since we were leaning for it to have an outdoor camp kitchen focus, we opted for a slightly smaller overall length for easier storage and a more robust blade thickness to prevent knicks or damage from a more hostile outdoor environment.

What’s the most underappreciated feature from a user standpoint?

Mark Perusich: Of all the challenges we had designing and manufacturing Leatherman Knives, I'd say the square wire pocket clip was one of the most challenging. The user will likely think it looks great and functions even better but won't know or understand how much development went into getting that made to the high standard and aesthetic design we wanted. 

Materials & Performance

Why MagnaCut? What performance or design goals drove that steel choice?

Lee Leatherman: Best in class performance, durability, and edge retention.

Mark Perusich: Magnacut is one of the best-balanced steels out there; it hits all 3 points of the triangle. Edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance. Not many steels can do this on the market.

How does the Zirblast + Cerakote process affect grip, wear, or appearance over time?

Mark Perusich: Zirblast and Cerakote are two processes we used on the folders to give the blade a satin, high- end finish (Zirblast), and add color and surface performance (Cerakote) to our knife frames to achieve a premium level. Cerakote is a tough, ceramic coating that adds vibrant color with unmatched durability. Over time the knife will get a patina from all the use, showing slight wear on the edges, giving it a unique personality and stories to be reminded of. The satin Zirblasted -blade hides many of the daily use scuffs and scrapes better than a high-polished blade would. Keeping your EDC Blazer or Glider knife looking good with every use.

The hollow grind is rare with MagnaCut—what engineering challenges did that present?

Mark Perusich: MagnaCut is harder to work with than the traditional steels we have used in the past. It's extremely hard and tough which makes great knife steel but makes it challenging to grind and harder to heat treat; it likes to warp.

Engineering & Functionality

What’s special about the handle construction and fastener choices?

Lee Leatherman: Handle material and design were built for the best ergonomic feel and function.

Mark Perusich: G10 on the fixed blade is grippy when wet, has a great hand feel, and allows for many color options. Stainless steel is tough and functional and has a nice, weighted feel.

How was the patent-pending Delta™ Lock engineered for durability and ease of use?

Lee Leatherman: Simplicity, minimal parts lead to efficiency and durability. Push button design is intuitive and easy to use.

Mark Perusich: The way the lock works, makes in extremely strong and simple in execution.

How do these knives evolve or expand the definition of 'everyday carry'?

Lee Leatherman: These knives stand alone as best in class EDC. They can also be combined in systems with Leatherman’s multi-tools, shears, pocket tools, keychain tools, and accessories to really push the boundaries of EDC.

Why was the magnetic bit bead included? What’s its intended use beyond style?

Lee Leatherman: FYI the bit heads will adhere to magnets but are not magnets in and of themselves.

The lanyard and bit head are included mostly for the purpose of pulling the knife out of your pocket or sheath more easily. There are also possible uses of the bit head in a pinch or lanyard string for some possible unforeseen purposes.

Mark Perusich: The bead and lanyard are included for a few reasons. One being that it’s a nice way to pull the knife out of your pocket. Since it will also be sold separately as well, it’s great for a gift to add onto any Leatherman tool we sell. The bead has two ways to hold bits that add extra functionality if you need to tighten or take something apart. It’s a great complimentary accessory that fits into the Leatherman Knife line.

Prototyping, Testing & Process

How many prototypes or design iterations did you go through for each model?

Lee Leatherman: Many.

Mark Perusich: A lot!

What kinds of environmental testing were done on these knives?

Mark Perusich: We put the knives through their paces. We ran them through watch ware testing, dishwashers, salt fog baths, fire starting and testing different striker profiles, batoning firewood to test edge reliability and retention, cut testing and lock toughness testing in the lab and real-world uses.

Were any tools or processes custom-built for this knife program?

Lee Leatherman: Yes, we built this whole program from the ground up. New design processes, tools, machines, production flow, sharpening, etc.

Can you share a design failure or challenge that taught the team something crucial?

Lee Leatherman: Our process for designing and building knives in the Garage directly affected our approach to building out our knife products and processes. Figuring out how to scale up our bevel grinding to a larger blade on the Harvest (Garage) knife (from our multi-tool size blades) was a good learning experience moment that took a lot more time, thought, and effort than we thought it would.

For our folders, we iterated through two completely different and proprietary locking mechanisms in the Garage before ending up at our Delta™ Lock. We learned how much the mechanics and geometry of the lock design affect the shape, thickness, weight, balance, material, and ergonomics of the knife. We learned that through iteration in the design process and ended up designing the most clean, functional, simple, and effective lock we could come up with. And we will continue to pursue best-in-class lock design and function.

Craftsmanship & Culture

How does being made in Portland influence your process or mindset?

Lee Leatherman: The land, culture, environment, people, knife building, and craftsperson community have a deep history here in Portland and surrounding areas and influence us directly and indirectly. Being actually made in Portland is a whole different thing. We have to strive to make products that push innovation and provide a real value to our consumer to justify the real cost of building things and employing people in the city of Portland and in the USA in general. It is a point of pride for us to be making products in the city of Portland.

What parts of the knives are made in-house, and why does that matter?

Lee Leatherman: We currently build the centerpiece of our knives in house, our blades. Our handles are made in the USA, and we use our own Cerakote cell for color. We sharpen and assemble and quality check everything in house. We bring as many processes as we can justify in house as we develop our line. It’s important because you learn so much by actually building the product and parts of the product and designing how the products are built. We learn a lot about design in the design process but building the products and developing manufacturing processes adds so much knowledge along the way to not only the design but how to build and quality and maybe how to design the product better the next time around.

Are there any subtle design details that nod to Leatherman’s legacy?

Lee Leatherman: Yes, the bit heads, screws, logos, and overall look and design apply to the Leatherman legacy.

Mark Perusich: Yes, the circular logo engraved on the folder frames ties it back to Leatherman multi-tools. The choice of materials overlaps with our legacy products and how we use them in our tools, the attention to detail (finish quality, type of fasteners, look), and the innovation of our new lock.

How do different departments collaborate throughout the development process?

Lee Leatherman: We work as a team and a unit from beginning to end and back around the cycle to iterate and improve over time. We strive to be the best. Sometimes that means challenging each other to perform our best and sometimes that means picking each other up.

Mark Perusich: Also, that means wearing many hats. We are a small team and overcame many challenges. We had to learn new things all the time and come up with solutions not known before. The whole company rallied around the team and gave support as needed and when requested. It was challenging but well worth the outcome.

Favorite knife from the new lineup? Which one will you carry? And will you still have your multi-tool?

Lee Leatherman: I’ll have a Glider™ and Trac™ in my lineup, along with my ARC® and will be ready for anything!

Mark Perusich: I use the Rustle™ daily in my kitchen and carry the Glider as my EDC. I don't carry a pliers- based multi-tool on me every day, but I have them in my truck, tackle box, junk drawer and toolbox.

DISCOVER THE KNIVES FOR YOURSELF

A knife is more than a tool. It represents your whole view on the world—that you’re self-reliant, prepared, and ready for whatever happens. Built Different, our family of knives is here for those who go further, try harder, and tackle it all. Whether you need a reliable everyday carry folding knife like the Glider ™ or Blazer™, or a robust fixed blade like the Trac™, Rustle™, or Pioneer™, you’ll know that all of them are going to last for years to come. Explore our Knife Collection to find the perfect knife for your lifestyle and experience.